Ace of Swords Reversed | Tarot Meaning

The Ace of Swords reversed can relate to resisting the mental aspects of change or new beginnings. When it is in its upright position it can indicate new ideas coming through and a sense that you may need to step out on your own to take a new direction. When you look at the card you’ll notice a barren landscape and therefore the desire to take a new direction may relate to getting to the essential truth, or something you need to do without getting caught up in chaotic emotions. In this case, the head may need to rule the heart in order to move forward on something.

When this card is in its reversed position, you may be aware you need to begin a new direction but might not yet be ready to take that step, or don’t have clarity yet.

The Suit Of Swords In Tarot

The suit of swords in tarot relates to the mental aspects of life where clear thinking (or lack of clear thinking) is the focus. Swords relate to the element of air in nature which connects to a sense of inspiration and new ideas. They can be likened to the ‘winds of change’, especially when it comes to an Ace, as all Aces in each suit represent new beginnings either on a physical, emotional, mental or spiritual realm.

Love and Relationship Meaning

When interpreting any card in relation to a specific question, the meaning will always depend on what question is being asked and the context of the situation. However, some general ideas around the meaning of the ace of swords reversed relative to relationships and love could mean there is a new way of looking at the circumstance that you may not have considered yet. For example, you might be stuck on a problem regarding a specific relationship and this card in its reversed position could mean there is a new way of approaching this situation, but you cannot yet see it, or unwilling to see it. It could also mean you need cut ties with someone and strike out on your own, but have not yet mentally integrated this idea in order to take action. It could also be a sign that you need to take all emotion out of what you are trying to deal with and approach the situation in a more logical way. For example, you may need to look at the facts of a situation before you get caught up in the emotional roller coaster of something. You may be seeking a clear sense of justice, but are having difficulty with the clarity needed to reach this state.

This card can also indicate a tendency not to approach your relationships in a heartfelt way, and when this card is reversed it could mean you need to get out of your head and into your heart and connect with your feelings in order to gain a fresh perspective the situation you may be faced with.

Career Meaning

When it comes to interpreting this card in relation to career, it could mean you are being challenged to start a new project or even a new career. You may be feeling confused about the direction of you career and may be thinking you need to cut ties with your current job, but are also acutely aware of the risks of striking out on your own and forging a new direction for yourself. You might have a sense that this is something you want to do, but don’t have the clarity as to how you are going to do this.

When it comes to the kinds of professions this card may relate to, professions that involve a high level of analytical thinking such as:

Law and related legal professions

Mathematician

Neuropsychologist

Intelligence Analyst

Database Architect

Biostatistician

Operations Research Analyst

Epidemiologist

Bioinformatics Scientist

Economist

Health Meaning

When it comes to your health, the Ace of swords reversed can relate to a lack of clarity in your mind. You need to perhaps get the facts about a certain medical condition and be clear about what your treatment options are. It could also relate to not setting clear goals for certain health outcomes you you want and therefore you are not able to execute actions that are needed because you are not first clear about what is you actually have to do to create the change. You cannot take bold action until you have all the information, so you may need some more time to gather the data in order to be clear about what you need to do.

Symbolism of the card:

The hand coming out of the cloud relates to the air element in nature as well as inspiration from above.

The sword relates to clarity, truth and justice. It may be an indication that you need to face a battle in order to reveal the truth of a situation and do it with skill and mental fortitude.

The crown relates to the head and high level thinking

The greenery hanging off crown is said to be an olive branch (left) and a date palm branch (right). Date palms relate to the Goddess Innana/Ishtar and the olive to Athena who is the Greek goddess who is said to have given the olive tree to Athens. Keep in mind that Athena is also the Goddess of ‘wisdom and war’, therefore further highlighting the double edge quest for truth where unskillful raw power may be used (such as war) or skillful use of words and intelligence can be used to solve problems.

Barren landscape: a sense of isolation and coldness symbolising approaching a situation with the cold naked truth.

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8 Comments

I’m not really a fan of tarot reading. I’m also afraid it’s related to witch craft or something negative. Sorry, but I don’t mean to offend you knowing you’ve been into this since you were 20.

But the way you explained about the card is very comprehensive, and made me read your “about liz” page. Good thing I learned that you still don’t believe that it can be related to our future (something that predict the future).

We make our own future by doing things at present. And I only believe in One Almighty that allows things to happen to our advantage.

Each to their own! We are all entitled to our beliefs-so long as they are not hurting anyone in my view. It is an absolute myth that Tarot cards are associated with anything negative like witch craft of voodoo. That is often how they are portrayed in movies and other media and it is a stereotype. Tarot cards are simply archetypal patterns-of which one of the fathers of modern psychology was also a fan of (Carl Jung). They are simply stories on cards based on symbols, myths and legends, just as the bible contains stories of myths and fables. I find it ironic that many religious people associate tarot cards with negative things when in actual fact, the religions of the world are responsible for many a mass death and have been used as one of the ultimate control mechanisms for humanity for thousands of years. Just my two cents. Thanks for stopping by! Ps I absolutely agree-we make our future from the present moment, but I also think that the Almighty (or Source Energy as I prefer to call it) is within us-not external to us.

Hi Liz! Sorry for not able to respond right away. I absolutely agree, sometimes, I feel as though religion is another form of business these days. Perhaps the religious live a life without really having the real Source of everything within them. It bothers me to see religious people become so righteous and entitled as if they all have the authority to say everything what is in their minds and won’t accept anything from others in return.

Thanks for responding! I think that perhaps religion has always been a form of business haha! And yes, the righteousness of some religious people really bothers me too! I think religion has done a HUGE amount of damage to our ability to think and feel freely. But I do think that is beginning to change. 🙂

This post made me think of my own career and how I am in the process of starting a new project to build more freedom for myself. I occasionally do not know which direction to move in because this is uncharted territory for me. So I have to learn as I go. Thanks for a thought provoking post. Helps me to realize that I am not the only one.

Hi there! This is something I’ve always wanted to learn about, but I guess I was too embarrassed to admit it so I never really looked into it. It would be interesting to see how Tarot readings fit into the Universe’s energy. Makes me wonder.

I’m afraid to go to a real psychic because I’m worried I’ll be told something terrible and that I’ll live the rest of my life worried about a message seen in my cards. Do you ever worry about something you’ve seen or been told about your life?

Hi Aria, I used to worry. But now I don’t at all because I firmly believe the power lies in what we CHOOSE to believe in rather than someone else telling us what they think will happen to us. The real problem is we tend to give our power away to others, and I think the tarot and psychic industry profit with this. I am trying to change this and my aim is to help people empower themselves by asking empowering questions around the meanings of the Tarot cards because the tarot is about archetypes and common human themes. It doesn’t predict the future but is a tool designed to help you understand yourself and your world in new refreshing ways.